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| The first KGK concert, December 2006 |
Hello all, it seems that the interview we did for grindcore.com is dead, so here it is for you to enjoy, the questions were asked by Adam, and answered by us both, it's fro October 2012:
Hey Adam, here we go:
I've written some questions, which you will find below. I hope you and Martin enjoy answering them! If there are any you don't want to answer, that's fine. Also, if you want to use any of them as a prompt to just talk about the topic, that's also fine!
- For anyone who doesn’t know Kusari Gama Kill, can you please introduce yourselves?
Janus: Well we are a Danish duo, making noisegrind of some sort mainly using whatever digital means we can. We have made some cd’s on the R.O.N.F. label, and are now mainly released on Robo! Robotica and Grindcore Karaoke as free downloads. “We” being Martin Weile and me, Janus Blomfrø. We are both in our early 40’s, trained librarians, and married with some fine ladies who have given birth to surprisingly normal offspring. We are also both proud and happy dog owners. We live in Copenhagen, Denmark.
- How would you describe Kusari Gama Kill’s style in 3 words?
Janus: harsh noise grind
- Denmark isn’t really known for its noisecore, so what were your expectations when you originally formed the band?
Janus: Hmm, originally we were severely inspired by the almighty Abisyeikah from Japan, and the fantastic band Jesus Of Nazareth from the USA. I personally just wanted to make some fast noise with punky/grindy vocals and the occational blast beat. We never expected anyone in Denmark to notice us, let alone like what we do, but we have been somewhat well received, having played shows at both a gay art concert and a grindcore album releaseparty and many things in between. The artheads think we are exciting and the grindfreaks like us because we try to push the limits of “music”. But my first ambition was to release a cd with 99 song, so we did that. Twice.
- Have you noticed a change in the Danish grind/noise scene over the past 5 years?
Janus: Well, it has grown smaller I think? I’m not very much in tune with what (if anything) that goes on here. We tend to have our musical brothers and sisters scattered all over the world. Noise is an international phenomenon due to it’s extremity and the very limited number of people who like it - or care about it for that matter. BUt the international grind/noise scene is very good I think. I love bands like Sete Star Sept and ACxDC, and I am very much into the new Gorgonized Dorks on Grindcore Karaoke. Many people make good stuff these days.
- Which of your releases so far are you most pleased with?
Janus: I think that the zombie-related songs on the split with 7MON are a great unit. They were originally recorded in 2006 as ½ of a 7” split with a French band called Sarkofacho88 or something. But it was never released, among ourselves we still refer to these songs as The Zombie Ep. That ep I like a lot. Also our latest two non-split releases Chaos Surge and Control - both out on Grindcore Karaoke are something I’m quite happy about. Oh and a split cassette with us and THC Eradicus - that’s a mighty fine tape, one track from each band and a total playing time of 22 minutes. I think it’s still available. I have a few copies too if anyone wants to get it.
- Would you like to perform live more than you currently do?
Janus: Yes, not too frequent though, but a show every 6 months would be nice. We have played 8 shows in 6 years, so that’s a bit too rare.
- Can you tell us something about your songwriting process?
Janus: We have some rules:
1. A song can be no longer than 45 seconds (well a minute tops)
2. The basic elements are mostly fast drum machine, noise and growls/shouts
3. We must have fun making the song as well as while listening to it
Mostly I make a drumtrack in Fluity Loops, and send it to Martin. He then makes noise to fit, and I add vocals and do the mix in Audacity. I then send the mix back to Martin who either accepts it, or returns it with suggestions. Every 6 month or so, we get together for a beer or two at Bodega 54 or the like, and talk about planned releases, and where we want to go soundwise.
- On Chaos Surge, is the song “Banana man” related to the British cartoon character?
Janus: I wasn’t aware of him before you asked... It was just a snappy title. I write phrases down all the time, and when I record a song, I look at my notes and find something that fits the music.
- The tracklist on your split with 7 Minutes of Nausea suggests a taste for zombie films. What other movies do you enjoy?
Janus: I recently saw What Have You Done Today Mervyn Day made by Saint Etienne about the Lower Lea Valley. Apart from that I like independent films... Into The Wild was a fantastic film too. But I mainly watch tv-series, like Lie To Me, Bones and the like. I just started watching The Wire which is promising. Also I like many old horror movies, Nosferatu (1922) etc.
- You describe yourselves on your blog as ‘Librarians and noiselovers’ - are books an influence on your music too?
Janus: I let many books inspire me, I have read science fiction for more than 30 years, but I have no sense of quality about books, I tend to like them all... And I have always let that reflect in my lyrics. Some comics too, we just finished a song called Adèle about Tardi’s Adèle Blanc-Sec, another new song is called Isaac Asimov.
- Last year, you released an album as ‘Uddercock’, featuring 25 tracks of 2 seconds each. Where did the idea for this come from?
Janus: We just wanted to show the world that Kusari Gama Kill are a bunch of indie-pop artsy pussies that don’t know how to make true noise... The plan was to make 1600 songs, but it was too much of a hassle to make more than 25. And a 50 second album is kind of cool too. We plan to have an Uddercock christmas song on the A Grindcore Christmas 2 Compilation.
- Janus - you recently made Sardonic Death’s Celestial Mindwarp available online. Does this bring back good memories? Should we expect a reunion tour?
Janus: It brings a lot of fun memories. We had no idea that a no budget demo cassette would be something anyone bothered to listen to 21 years later. We have been digging through the archives for old reviews and photos. Rumour has it that someone wants us to play a gig next summer, but I don’t know any more about that. It might be fun, but most likely it will be a disaster.
- Martin - where do the ideas for your album covers come from? How long does it take you to create the finished artwork?
Martin: Janus comes up with an album title. I make some doodles inspired by the title. Scan the one I like the most and finalize it it Inkscape. It takes a couple of hours.
- Your last few records were released digitally, through Grindcore Karaoke. Do you think digital-only releases are the future of noise and grind? If so, is this a good or a bad thing?
Janus: As much as I enjoy listening to records, tapes and cds, I really have no problem with digital only releases. Not many noiseniks earn money from their music anyway, so I think it is a great freedom to be able to release without thinking of the cost of producing physical copies. I think all information including music should be free. BUT if anyone out there is interested in releasing a Kusari Gama Kill 7”, I’d whore my soul to him or her instantly, but that’s just my own vanity and childish ambition speaking. But labels like Robo! Robotica, Grindcore Karaoke, Torn Flesh and the others are fantastic sources of high quality alternative music. I think they keep music alive more than Sony has ever done.
- Unfortunately for female readers, you’re both married. Are your wives big KGK fans?
Janus: My wife and son hates Kusari Gama Kill, she loves Morrissey, Saint Etienne, Pizzicato Five and Burt Bacharach. She is cool, and actually owns more music than I do.
Martin: No KGK fans at home.
- What albums are you listening to most at the moment?
Janus: Last Days Of Humanity: Putrefaction In Progress - The most intense album ever! Apart from that I am more into listening to my iPod on shuffle. I then load it with specific genres, most recently it has brimmed with Dead Kennedys, Noisear, Sonic Youth, Joy Division, ACxDC, Kill The Client, Masonna, Shitlickers, Hatred Surge, Iron Lung, and the like...
Martin: Swans: The Seer, Ufomammut: ORO Opus Primum, Liars: WIXIW, Future of the left: The Plot against common sense. No grind, that’s Janus department.
- What are your passions outside of noise and music?
Janus: My family is my main focus, my wife, son and two dogs are the most important to me. But I also enjoy reading, working, I have two jobs, one as a teacher for the children hospitalized at Copenhagen University Hospital, and one as a caretaker for people diagnosed with severe alcohol dementia - and they still drink... Both jobs are interesting and challenging in their own way. I take shitloads of photos too. Mainly of houses and street art. I am very active on flickr, where my “name” is No More Bob.
- What does the future hold for Kusari Gama Kill?
Janus: We are working on a split with Death Cult Jock from Australia. Randall of Grindcore Karaoke is mixing and slicing a Kusari Gama Kill/Seal Team 666 collaboration ep, that hopefully is out soon. Also we’d like to release another ep come spring. We have decided to stop making albums for the time being, as 45 minutes of us banging away leaves the listener numb. We’d rather come as a fist in the dark and leave people confused about what hit them. And not least we’d like to keep having fun talking/chatting/mailing with people from around the globe who like noise as much as we do. As a final comment I’d like to say that Lukashenko of Belarus is a tyrant and a fascist killer, who must be dethroned now. Read more here: http://www.freebelarusnow.org/
Thank you for the interview! I send you good wishes for a noisy future!
Janus: Thank you so much Adam, it was a great pleasure!!
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